Gavin Newsom wants to close city parks late night

Any 2:30 a.m. park joggers out there might want to get ready to switch to midnight.

Mayor Gavin Newsom has introduced legislation that would set hours of operation for Golden Gate Park and McLaren Park, restricting access to the two largest city-owned parks after 1 a.m.

Mike Kepka / The Chronicle

Vandals tore up three holes at Golden Gate Park’s golf course in October.

The mayor’s administration says the effort targets crime and vandalism in city parks and is not a move to crack down on homeless campers.

“Camping is already illegal. This actually aims to address those people who are not camping but are up to no good,” Newsom spokesman Tony Winnicker said. “If you’re lurking in a park at 3 a.m., the chances are you’re up to no good. If you want to take a stroll, wait a few hours. There’s much more to see in the daylight.”

If passed by the Board of Supervisors, the proposed ordinance would close those two city parks from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and authorize the Recreation and Park Commission to set hours for other properties it oversees. Some other smaller city parks already have operating hours. Parks in other major cities, including Central Park in New York and Griffith Park in Los Angeles, close at night.

Under the proposed ordinance, if Recreation and Park Department staff or police find someone in the two parks after hours, the legislation calls for them to first direct the person to leave immediately and accompany them out of the park.

If the person refuses to leave, they are guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, six months in the county jail or both.

The move comes after vandals killed or badly damaged 32 rosebushes and 44 trees in Golden Gate and Lincoln parks between May and July. In October, someone turned three holes of the Golden Gate Park golf course into their personal off-road track, using some kind of vehicle to cause an estimated $100,000 in damage.

“Right now, if you have a trailer with two ATVs parked on it in Golden Gate Park at night, there’s no prohibition on them being there,” Winnicker said. “With these rules, those ATVs wouldn’t be allowed to be in the park, and if they had been seen, that vandalism might have been prevented because the police could have used this tool.”

The mayor’s office says the proposal would not prevent vehicles, including bicycles, from traversing Golden Gate Park or McLaren Park during the restricted hours, although the text of the legislation is silent on that topic. It’s also unclear whether enforcement would sap rangers from other city parks.

Winnicker said the legislation is a work in progress designed to further discussions on late-night park closures.

“We expect there to be amendments and debate about the best approach,” he said.

The legislation currently allows the Recreation and Park Department to grant exceptions through permits, contracts or leases.